One step at a time π
(I'm really sorry, I'm a dad)
this post was submitted on 29 Apr 2025
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If you want (!) to map this at all (I see little use in this, who is going to use this data), then yeah, one line for each flight of stairs, connect them with highway=footway and tag layers/levels, bridge=yes, as applicable.
You have to draw them only once, than you can use the tag repeat_on, and list the levels: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:repeat_on
But yes, it's super micro mapping, I would map this only, if the full building is mapped with the same detail level.
This is the best I could find: https://help.openstreetmap.org/questions/62074/how-to-tag-emergency-exit-staircase
Should I make lines over each other multiple times, each with different level?
"Ideally", yes. It is very annoying to do in most editors but it is the correct solution.
Or just one line and donβt care about the other floors?
This is also fine IMHO, just mapping it as a single line with highway=steps will get the point across. Especially so given how this is not going to be useful for routing.
For multi-level stairs that are actually useful for routing the first solution would be more preferable as it would help calculate the distance traveled slightly better. You can actually see this done semi-properly here: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/451708239 (notice how the staircase is mapped in a spiral - this is mostly due to how annoying it is to do proper overlapping ways in an editor).
"Ideally", yes.
If you use simple indoor tagging, you can use repeat_on, and you can map this with a single line: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:repeat_on
There are some renderer support for it, I'm not sure any routing engine supports this.
~~I would map it as entrance=emergency OSM wiki also proposes to add exit=emergency https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:entrance~~
I don't think that's accurate
Uh... Don't? OSM is a map for humans. We don't need specific instructions to navigate a fire escape staircase.
I respectably disagree.
Yes, OSM is for humans but navigation isn't its only purpose. People are mapping mundane things like trees, grass patches or manholes, in my opinion a huge structure like a staircase is worth mapping, even if as a single point. And actually - this concrete staircase is actually used daily by the people in that office building, so it's not just a fire escape.
Please don't kill the enthusiasm in people
I'm not trying to kill anything. I guess I misapprehended the goal of the project.
No, it is not. OSM is a database of geodata. The rules are clear: what is in there, must be (semi)permanent and observable. A fire staircase meets those requirements.
If you (or a dataconsumer) doesn't care about this data, they can simply take a copy and delete from that copy what they don't need.